The procedure of replacing the aortic valve with the patient's own pulmonary valve and then using a pulmonary allograft to replace the pulmonary valve is commonly referred to as the Ross procedure. The pulmonary valve is then replaced with a homograft (frozen human tissue) that accomplishes the same function. This procedure is more performed in children or young adults and has many advantages over prosthetic valves. The patient has a higher resistance to infection (the tissue is alive), and the new valve can potentially grow as the child grows
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Patients undergoing the Ross procedure do not require anticoagulation and have minimal restrictions on their lifestyle and do not require cardiac medications to maintain or preserve valve function.
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The Ross procedure is a safe operation and can be performed with a low mortality risk. Although the Ross procedure for AVR in the pediatric population is more demanding than straightforward valve replacement, it offers distinct advantages, including excellent hemodynamic flow characteristics, potential for growth, excellent patient survival, and minimal incidence of late embolic complications. Repeat operations on the reconstructed right ventricular outflow tract are infrequent and associated with low surgical risk. Check ups have to be done on a routine basis to ensure no aneurysm on the autograft dilatation. Reoperation on the autograft may be required; however, valve-sparing root replacement can be performed to preserve the autograft valve.
